Mulholland Drive bridge over 405 Freeway to open today after 2 years construction

LOS ANGELES - After two years of construction and two “Carmageddon” freeway closures to make way for demolition, the rebuilt Mulholland Drive bridge over the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Sepulveda will open for traffic today.

Demolition of the Mulholland bridge was carried out with the help of two weekend-long closures of a 10-mile stretch of the 405 Freeway, both dubbed “Carmageddon” due to the anticipated crush of cars that were expected to clog streets and other freeways as motorists sought alternate routes.

For weeks leading up to the first closure in 2011, elected and transportation officials made repeated public pleas calling on people to stay off the streets for the weekend -- and the public heeded the call. The predicted crunch of vehicles never materialized, and the freeway was re-opened 17 hours early.

The success of that closure raised some concerns in 2012 when the freeway was blocked again, with officials fearing the lack of trouble from “Carmageddon I” would lull motorists into complacency. But motorists largely heeded the call to stay off the roads again, although warm weather on the closure weekend caused some traffic jams as people tried to reach beaches.

The reconstructed 608-foot-long bridge is 10 feet wider than its predecessor, according to Metro, which is overseeing the $1 billion 405 Freeway widening project in the Sepulveda Pass. The overall project is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.